Knowledge is Power - Over You
Filed in archive CSR on June 15, 2007
I like Google. Really, I do - but I'm slightly disappointed.
Google has made my life so much more efficient. I use my Gmail not only to communicate, but with the way it is set up I don't feel overwhelmed by all the newsletters and groups I'm a part of, and I can keep TABS on everything faster. Google Reader, Docs, and Notebooks have been a savior to my blogging productivity. Google Groups has helped me find a ton of great resources - and let's not forget the fantastic Google search engine.
They're also going solar, mapping the Darfur tragedies, heading up a major philanthropy campaign, and teaming with schools to combat global warming. Not to mention giving free bikes to employees and giving code to open source endeavors, on top of being a fantastic place to work. Google literally has a hand in everything.
So what's the big deal?
Privacy. There's none of it for Google users. Due to the fact they have their hands in everything, you can imagine how much power they have with all your private information.
Granted, I don't mind the fact they know I love coffee (more like addicted to it), but what if they used your sexual preference or other sensitive information against you, by omitting search results for employers who request such? Google could do it, and probably does - who really knows? Their algorithm is secret, after all.
Proposed solution
Google has announced that they will only keep personal and private information for 18 months before making it anonymous. However, anonymity is not so anonymous sometimes.
Last year AOL released records of searches by 657,000 unidentified users. Reporters from The Times were able to trace the queries back to "anonymous" users. - Source, New York Times article.
In addition, Google isn't being very clear about what they consider "anonymous." To be honest, I just can't think of any real way of solving this short of eliminating personal information storage altogether.
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Tags: Google privacy CSR social development social+enterprise sponsored+post knowledge+power
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